According to a recent survey 45% of women and 55% of men have cheated in a relationship. And that's just the ones who've been caught or who've admitted to it so the true figures are probably considerably higher. What's even more worrying is that these figures are rising all the time.

So if infidelity is so common, what are the main reasons for it?

Men and women tend to have affairs for different reasons. Some are more likely to cheat for the physical excitement and satisfaction whereas others are more likely to look for someone else to give them the affection that they are not getting from their partner or spouse.

Whatever the case, people have affairs because they are not completely satisfied in their relationship or marriage.

Another reason is that it's getting easier to cheat all the time. Technical advances such as mobile phones and the internet have opened up so many new opportunities. It's becoming easier to find a solution outside of your relationship than maybe confronting some of the delicate issues that need resolving.

So people ending up having affairs which they then so often regret. The damage is done, they wish they could put things right but they don't know how to. After all, if they couldn't sort out the problems in their relationship beforehand how are they going to do it now when the situation is so much more delicate and difficult?